Duck with Sauternes Sauce
This is a simple preparation of either duck magret (duck breast) or roasted whole duck. The sweet and savory flavors meld to make this an easy and pleasing dish to serve.
PLEASE do not use a good wine for this as an inexpensive dessert wine from Bordeaux will do just fine. The recipe specifies duck breast, details on roast duck at the end.
Gently salt & pepper the duck. Prick the skin or make careful slices in the skin, criss-cross fashion, avoiding cutting through the fat and into the meat.
Pan sear the magret, skin side down. Most of the cooking is done on this side. The fat will render and the skin will be come crispy. Turn the magret over and cook for just a couple of minutes. The more springy the meat, the more it is cooked. It is typically served rare (my preference) to rosy. Over cooked magret loses its savor and is just too tough.
Remove the magret to a cutting board and loosely wrap in aluminum foil. This is critical as the magret needs to rest for 15 min before carving.
Pour off the excess fat and deglaze the pan with the wine, about 1/3 cup per magret. I usually add a tsp of lemon juice before the reduction
Add a pinch or two of freshly grated nutmeg (a bit more if already ground), and a couple of cloves. A whole cardamom seed can be added if desired.
Reduce the wine to a syrupy consistency (at least 4x), and you can now carve the duck. Remove both cloves and cardamom before serving.
If you are plating the meal, carve the magret, and display as a fantail, and then drizzle on the sauce, with a little around the fantail. Otherwise, serve the magret whole with sauce on the side.
If you have roasted a whole duck, decant the fat in the pan, and deglaze with about 1/2 cup wine per pound of raw duck, and follow the recipe for the magret.
This is great accompanied with polenta. Make (or buy) the polenta, and then pan sear it just before serving, best in butter, but a good extra-virgin olive oil works as well. If you are feeling particularly decadent, you can offer a "pommes anna" or a potato gratin (Gruyère cheese). For a green, I have used wilted spinach, with a touch of nutmeg (sauce liason), and a bit of cream or a tbsp or two of plain yogurt or sour cream (creme fraiche is best but often hard to find).
As always, salt & pepper to taste, especially the spinach and the polenta, but don't forget the sauce. The key here is bvalance (now where have I heard that before?) and subtlety. You want the duck to shine, and have the sauce showcase the duck, not the other way around.
Bon appetit!